


Metal and Ink

by bookwormally



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Humanstuck, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 10:51:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2345807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwormally/pseuds/bookwormally
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cronus has a problem where he leaves his damn wedding ring off all the time. Kankri notices and wishes he didn’t feel like Cronus was leaving him behind as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Metal and Ink

He’s left it again, sitting on the counter. With a sigh you pick it up, the simple gold band catching the light of the sun. He does this more and more, setting the ring down and forgetting to pick it back up again. He’s never lost it as far as you know, but he plays with it in his hands more than he wears it. You turn it over again and resist the urge to throw it away from you across the room. _Clearly he doesn’t care about it as much as you do. Clearly it’s just a thing not a serious symbol of your relationship._ And then your brain does the dumb thing it likes to do entirely too much. It runs much farther than can possibly be believed to make you hate yourself.

_Maybe it’s the same with our relationship. Maybe he doesn’t care about you as much as you do about him. Maybe he leaves it at home all the time to go flirt with other people. How many days has he actually worn it?_ You glare down at the stupid piece of jewelry and set it back on the counter. You go to wrench yours off and leave it sitting beside the other, but stop. You just…can’t. Getting married to Cronus Ampora is one of the best decisions of your life and you treasure every reminder. Instead you curl up on the couch and try your best not to cry because it hurts to imagine he doesn’t love you the way you love him.

*

You get back late again. You shove your hair out of your face and sniff your jacket. For once you don’t reek of booze, smoke, and too many people. Going out with Meenah had gotten a lot less insane since she settled with Aranea. That said you both still liked to go out together and act a little crazy. But having someone to come home to made you both a little smarter. Speaking of coming home to someone Kankri is asleep on the couch, which could mean one of two things. One, he tried to wait up for you despite you telling him you’ll call and leave a message if you crash somewhere else for the night and if that doesn’t happen you will be home no matter how late. Two, and considering his face the most logical answer, he was upset and cried himself to sleep on the couch trying to control himself.

You can feel your own face crumple a bit as you look down at the sign of tears. You don’t have a clue what could have upset him. Nothing about work has been bothering him, you haven’t had a fight recently, and even your friends have kept him cheerful. You cup his cheek as you consider. _Too much pressure trying to be a good husband, friend, and worker?_ You shake your head. You know Kankri under pressure, this isn’t it. You glance around the room looking for some sign of what could have caused this. Your eyes catch on a ring sitting on the counter. One glance at your hand reveals its owner. You look down at Kankri again and he’s got his fingers holding tight to his ring even in his sleep.

“Fuck,” you whisper. “Fucking dammit Cronus.” You forgot your ring at home again. You just left the physical symbol of your union with Kankri on the counter like it was nothing and this isn’t even the first time. It’s not that you don’t like the ring. You just aren’t one to wear them like your brother so you’ll play with it before bed and forget to put it back on the next morning. Or you’ll take it off to do your hair to go out and leave it where you set it aside. And Kan, goddamn Kankri, probably thinks your casual treatment of the ring means you don’t care about him. _You made him cry_. You want to punch yourself in the face.

Instead you scoop your husband from the couch to take him to bed. He shifts into you, hand tightening on your shirt and it makes your heart ache a little more. You have fucked so bad, so many times with him, and he still loves you. You’re going to fix this somehow. You’re going to fix it so he can see that even when you fuck up and leave your ring, he knows you’re not leaving him.

*

Cronus had left early this morning, leaving you only a note and a fresh pot of coffee. You drink it and notice his ring is gone from the counter. You frown in thought. You hadn’t actually thrown it away had you? No, you wouldn’t do that. Cronus must have it on. _For once_ your mind whispers savagely. You smack the little voice down. He came back last night and got you into bed and made you coffee this morning. It’s the little things he does that matter not how absentminded he is. You nod decisively and enjoy the rest of your coffee.

He returns by lunch with the groceries you left the list out for and a bandaged hand. You don’t even notice at first, putting things away and chatting with him about how his night out went. He talks away happily about this and that they got up to, but he keeps glancing at you oddly. Finally you turn and cross your arms. “Cronus, what is the matter? Is there something on my face?” He waves his hands as he denies anything and that’s when you spot the bandage. You catch his wrist and he freezes.

“…you got a new tattoo this morning?” He carefully nods. That’s when you realize he got a new tattoo on his left hand and the bandage is centered on his ring finger. Which means he’s not wearing his ring. And he replaced that area with something he thinks is better. You drop his wrist in frustration and turn to walk away. You cannot deal with this after your pity party last night. You know Cronus loves his tattoos, loves the colors and the art and how it makes him standout. But to take a spot meant entirely for you and, and _ruin_ it with something else-! You want to scream. You also kind of want to cry. Because you were right. He doesn’t care as much as you do.

Before you can walk off Cronus hugs you round the middle. “Let me explain Kan, please?” You don’t turn but you don’t pull away. “I forgot my damn ring again last night and when I came home and I saw it and you and, dammit. I’m really bad at this so I’m sorry. I’m not Eri or Dad. I don’t wear lots of rings and jewelry and I’m forgetful as fuck.” He turns you around to face him and cups your face. “But I love you so much it hurts Kan and I felt like the worst kind of ass realizing how that must look to you. So I got this.” He waves his bandaged hand. “But I can’t show you for a couple more hours cause of infection so you gotta trust me that it's a good surprise okay?”

He looks so desperate for you to believe him. And he apologized for leaving his ring. He has a reason for whatever new piece of art he’s decorated himself with. So you take a deep breath and nod. He slumps in relief and pulls you in for a hug. “Thanks Kan.” You lean up for a kiss and all is put aside for the moment.

When he takes off the bandage a couple hours later and shows you the new tattoo you almost cry again. Because he got a ring, almost an exact match for your wedding band, tattooed around his ring finger. “This way I’ll never really forget and you’ll always know I’m not leaving you behind too. You and me Kan, forever and always.” You kiss him.


End file.
